Commitment to Craft.

The rocker’s namesake arm is created using flitch-cut cherry or walnut. The process involves quartering and steaming sections of logs, then slicing them into tenth-inch thick strips. The knife cuts produce no sawdust – and thus no waste – and the board’s full strength is preserved. When the pieces are shaped and glued back together, the arm comprises eleven different layers while retaining the strength and appearance of solid wood.

The shape of the continuous arm – oval at the top, round in the middle, and U-shaped where it meets the arms – requires intensive handwork. Each arm is trimmed and filed by hand using a course file called a horse rasp, then a finer rasp, and finished with a hand sander. Even the holes are drilled by eye.

The Child’s Continuous Arm Rocker also includes other refinements, such as a highlight (raised section) that runs around the back of the chair, where the spindles join the seat. The spindles extend through the seat and are wedged top and bottom, making them not only aesthetically pleasing but easy to repair should the need ever arise.

The legs represent the rocker’s final distinction. Most Windsor chairs have stretchers that connect the legs. Over time, stretchers get creaky, gather dust, and interfere with feet seeking space for a more comfortable position. Recognizing another opportunity, we have replaced the stretchers with a curved brace called a ship’s knee. Supportive and strong, the ship’s knee is created from 1/32″ laminated ash that is bent to shape and then set into a slot cut and shaped into the leg, so it is flush with the surface.